


Neptune

by manatonous



Series: Life's Order [2]
Category: Original Work, Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Angst, Drowning, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, M/M, Religious Conflict, flashfly yells at god for a bit, flashsparrow is only hinted at
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-17
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2021-02-26 12:36:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22778149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/manatonous/pseuds/manatonous
Summary: That feeling - the dread that had been creeping up behind him all day - it was back.The crickets stopped in their singing, and the air stilled.-In which Flashfly tries to speak to StarClan and they, quite frankly, are having none of it
Relationships: Flashfly/Sparrowpath, Original Male Character/Original Male Character
Series: Life's Order [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1637530
Kudos: 3





	Neptune

The ground was hard and unyielding beneath his feet as Flashfly padded down the narrow path leading towards the Moonpool. The scent of moss filled his nose as the water slowly came into view, the reflection of the stars as clear and welcoming as the first time he'd travelled to seek StarClan, all those moons ago. He could hear crickets chirping, filling the loneliness of the night, yet Flashfly shivered at the cool air as he reached the bottom of the hollow and, crouching down at the Moonpool’s edge, he lowered his head to the surface of the water. He opened his mouth, but before he could take a drink something tugged at his gut and stopped his movement. That feeling - the dread that had been creeping up behind him all day - it was back.

The crickets stopped in their singing, and the air stilled.

The hollow was silent aside from Flashfly's heavy breathing, and as he flicked his eyes across the water, not a single star could be seen reflected in the surface. The dread had crept up slowly, but now it was suffocating, and Flashfly couldn’t bring himself to move. It was as though the whole world had paused, and was waiting, watching. 

Gathering scraps of courage, he took a shallow breath and raised his head towards the other side of the pool. A pair of cold, lifeless eyes stared back. Then another, and more and more until a legion of dead faces were stood around the Moonpool, still as stone, and as Flashfly stood frozen he saw the first StarClan cat lift their tail in command-

-and then he was drowning.

In a heartbeat the ground was torn from beneath his feet. Water crashed into his lungs and what little breath he had was lost as his vision blurred and his mouth opened in a helpless grab for air. The water was frigid, cutting into his skin and leaving him almost incapable of movement, freezing his lungs from the inside out. A rushing noise filled his ears, and faintly he could feel his pelt burning with phantom claws, dragging him down as he feebly fought back.

The struggle seemed to last a lifetime, and as his eyes closed his hearing slowly faded. He barely noticed the cold water anymore. Flashfly could feel the claws tighten their grip and pull him deeper and deeper and _I'm dying, I'm dying but wait- no, StarClan is in Silverpelt, why are we going down we need to reach the sky where are you taking me let me go **let me go-**_

Flashfly’s eyes snapped open, his vision cleared, and he fought.

With what little life he had left kicked and writhed and swung his paws, batting violently until his claws flew through more than just water and met freezing, matted fur, and he fought his way from StarClan's grasp until finally, _finally,_ he crashed through water and he could **breathe**. 

He wheezed and coughed and swam, exhausted, to the pool’s edge, heaving himself onto the ground. Faintly, he registered the sound of the crickets and the smell of moss. The night air was still cold, but he welcomed it, his head pounding. 

He could have laid there for seconds, for minutes, for most of the night. Time passed, and he continued to gasp, staring first into the Moonpool's reflection before lifting his heavy head upwards towards the stars.

He blinked. He stood. He kept his gaze raised to the sky.

“I did everything,'' he croaked, his throat torn and sounding unnaturally loud in the echo of the hollow, “_every single thing_ you asked me to”.

StarClan was silent. Flashfly turned his head back to the Moonpool - the waters were still, and the stars were reflected there once more. A burning began in his belly, rising up his chest and throat and he let out a growl, savage and feral.

“I gave you _everything! Everyone!_”

He was flooded with rage. Head reeling, Flashfly burst from his spot at the water's edge and crashed around the Moonpool, barging into rocks and churning the water into a frenzy. Memories flaunted in front of his eyes. Cedarpool's death; Beepaw's death; his banishment from Shadowclan; the falling dens and his journey with Sparrowpath - _Sparrowpath_.

Standing unsteady on shaking legs, he came to a stop at the path leading up out of the hollow. His mind, usually alight, was blank. He was empty. He was tired.

Turning to look once more at Silverpelt, his gaze was blocked by the sudden clouds blanketing the sky. He softly growled, and padded away from the Moonpool. He walked. Away from StarClan, away from ShadowClan, away from Sparrowpath.

StarClan’s message was clear. The night was cold, and crickets chirped. Flashfly walked.

**Author's Note:**

> idk when, if ever, ill finish this series but this is the first bit of writing ive done for Life's Order and it's one of my favourite scenes in the story
> 
> if its not clear im not a huge starclan fan
> 
> title taken from sleeping at last's song
> 
> follow my twitter @manatonous for flashfly updates


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